Cooking With Jubilee
by Katya Jade
Summary: Second upload attempt frown. A story about Jubilee & a certain XMan not Wolverine wink


I got the idea for this little ditty from The Bud in a story called "When You Get What You Wished For." (Thanks, Bud!) This is a bit of a departure from the Wolverine/Jubilee pairing. In case you don't know, in my weird universe, Jubilee is an adult (about 25). I thought it would be interesting to see her with another X-Man. *Dodges rotten fruit*. Hope you like!

Standard disclaimers apply: Don't own the X-Men. Ain't makin' no money off 'em neither. So there.

Cooking With Jubilee

Jubilee stood in the middle of the kitchen with her hands on her hips, planning her attack. She had become obsessed with cooking shows over the last few months and was finally feeling brave enough to try her hand at one of the concoctions they made on the show. 

It wasn't like she was a _bad _cook, she just needed some practice. After all, it was about time she stopped relying on her teammates to ensure that she actually ate healthy meals. She was a competent, independent, intelligent woman. She could _do_ this. She had mastered making macaroni and cheese _without_ looking at the instructions on the box a long time ago and that, in itself, was a big accomplishment. Her confidence intact, she felt it was time to tackle a more ambitious project.

She decided that her first effort would be Chile Crusted Chorizo Quiche. Sounded good. Looked good. How much could she screw up eggs in a pie pan? 

Jubilee picked up the recipe and began running through her checklist. "Butter. Check. Chilies. Check. Chorizo. Check. Eggs. Check. Cilantro. Check…" 

She had everything she needed to create her incredible culinary delight. She dumped the Chorizo into the frying pan and began to brown the meat. She was actually getting the hang of it. Jubilee smiled and congratulated herself on an auspicious beginning. 

"Okay, very cool. Meat is browning. Nothing's burning at this point. We're on a roll."

Gambit strolled into the kitchen looking for a much-needed snack and a beer, provided Wolverine hadn't taken them all. He was taken aback at the sight of Jubilee at the stove actually _cooking_. She _never_ cooked. In fact, in the years since she had been living at the mansion, she always managed to disappear when the meal preparation assignments were distributed.

He headed for the refrigerator and pulled out the last beer. He smiled. 'Wolverine gonna kick my butt for takin' de last beer. Dat oughta be fun.'

"Chere, what you doin' in de kitchen dis afternoon? Playin' Julia Child?"

She had hoped that she would be able to cook without the distraction of her teammates, but in a mansion filled to the brim with mutant upon mutant, she realized that there wasn't much chance of that.

"Hey, Remy. Yes, I am trying my hand at the culinary arts, so keep your smart-ass remarks to yourself."

He sidled up next to her and bumped her on the shoulder with his fist. "What, you tryin' ta catch a husband 'r sometin'?"

She shot him a 'drop dead' look and returned to her pan. "For your information, I don't need to learn how to cook if I want a husband. I have _plenty_ of other talents."

He looked at her up and down, admiring how she had become such a beautiful and strong woman. "I don' doubt that, chere." He turned around and jumped up to sit on the counter and glanced at her recipe.

"Ooh, dat sound good, Jubilee. You know how dis Cajun boy like spicy food."

"Well, don't flatter yourself, Remy, I'm making it because it didn't look too _difficult_, not because I thought _you'd _like it."

Okay, well that wasn't _completely_ true. She and Gambit had long been friends. But in the years she had been at the mansion since college, Gambit had become more than a friend to her. Since his relationship with Rogue ended, he had been in need of someone to talk to and she had filled that position gladly. At first, she truly felt she was simply helping a friend. Later, as he shared more with her and, eventually, she with him, Jubilee began to realize that her feelings for the handsome Cajun were much stronger that she had ever anticipated. So, when she decided to make this particular dish, she thought it might be a chance to show him that she actually could cook edible food.

Gambit laughed. "I don' know, chere. Mebbe, deep in your mind, you tink Remy husband material an' you wanna learn ta cook for him."

Jubilee laughed out loud. She took the pan off the stove and moved to the sink to drain the fat. "Oh, you should _be_ so lucky."

'Yeah, I _should_ be so lucky.' Gambit thought to himself. She had grown from an obnoxious mall rat into a beautiful, self-possessed, intelligent woman. He never thought that he would be able to move beyond his feelings for Rogue and love another woman, but Jubilee had changed all that. He would never forget the day Rogue left him in the garden after telling him they were over. He felt as if he was sinking into a bottomless pit. He was mired in grief and anger when Jubilee wandered through later that same night and began talking to him. He surprised himself by telling her things of his past that were very painful and difficult for him to share. At first, he was glad to just have a friend. He sometimes felt that the others on the team were wary of him for various reasons. But Jubilee accepted him for who he was and never judged him or his actions.

Over the past few months, they had begun to spend more time together. It was during this time that Gambit realized his feelings for Jubilee encompassed much more than simple friendship. He only hoped that one day, she might feel the same for him.

Jubilee finished draining the fat from the pan and put it back on the burner. Before she could react, grease from the bottom of the pan bubbled and shot up, landing on her hand.

"CRAP!" Jubilee grabbed her hand and turned for the sink.

Remy leapt from the counter and, in one fluid motion, took her by the hand, turned on the cold water and put her hand under the cool flow.

"You okay, chere? It get you anywhere else?" He searched her other hand and arm to make sure she had not been burned.

Jubilee sighed and shook her head. "No, Remy, I'm fine. Just stupid of me not to turn down the burner before I took the pan off. Dang, that smarts."

She kept her hand under the cold water for a few minutes while Remy turned down the stove and covered the frying pan. 

"Since you injured now, Remy gonna half to help you wit' yer cookin'."

She smiled and removed her hand from the water. She took a towel from the counter and gently patted it dry. "Jeez, Remy, it was a little burn, not an incapacitating injury. See?"

He took her hand and examined the burned area no bigger than a nickel. "Mmm. I not so sure. Mebbe you need to see Hank 'bout a skin graft 'r sometin'." 

"Funny. Now let go and let me get back to my quiche." Jubilee began to pull away, but Gambit held her hand. 

"I help it heal much faster wit' my tried n' true home remedy."

She smiled warily, not sure what he was going to do next. "Oh, really? This ought to be good."

"I tink so, chere." He held her eyes and pulled her hand up to his face. Slowly and gently, he placed a kiss on her burnt hand. He held the kiss for a moment and when he finished, placed his other hand over hers and searched her eyes for a reaction. 

"Dat betta, Jubilee?"

She was stunned. That _wasn't_ a friendly little kiss. That was…_something_.

"Actually, yes. It feels a lot better." She paused and a worried look crossed her face. "But…I think…" She placed a hand on her lips. "Yes…I think a little grease landed on my lip. It hurts a little."

"Oh, well, den, Remy betta fix dat one, too."

Placing his hands on either side of her face, Gambit lowered his lips to hers in a soft, sweet kiss. Her arms came up to circle his neck. A minute later, Gambit and Jubilee slowly ended their embrace and looked into each other's eyes.

"I think I'm much better now. In fact, I think that kiss may have actually cured a hangnail I've had for a week now."

"Tol' you dat Remy's special medicine do de trick."

"I'll say." Jubilee smiled and continued looking into Gambit's amazing eyes. "So, Cajun, where do we go from here?"

"Chere, you lead, Gambit follow. You ain' figure dat out by now?"

"Guess I'm a little slow." She motioned with her head to the stove. "Should we finish making this masterpiece? I'm dying to know how it turns out."

"Trust me, chere. It gonna work out fine."

END

Feedback is always appreciated either at this site or [katyajade@home.com][1].

   [1]: mailto:katyajade@home.com



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